RTW 2022

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psalm 37:23

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (AMPC)

Delight: ânag (aw-nag)

• take exquisite delight; delicateness, have delight self, pamper
• a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy

I think the key word in the verse is not delight, but also.

God knows that there are many things that bring delight to us; family, friends, good food, music, travel, grandbabies, a fresh haircut, a walk in nature, a boat ride, the smell after a spring rain or a winter snow fall.

David says also… in addition to all the things that you delight in, receive a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment in, also, delight, receive a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment in the Lord.

It’s when we do this, delighting in the Lord… when it becomes our natural practice that He will give us the desires of our heart.

David can make a statement like this because He has experienced it.

David knows that when delighting in the Lord is part of our natural way of living our heart becomes like the Lord’s.

We begin to

• desire the things that God desires.
• want what God wants.

He knows that when we delight in the Lord and our heart becomes like His, we will want NOTHING other than what God wants.

“Most of all, it shows that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us our delight. If He is our delight, He gives us more of Himself. Longings fixed on Him fulfill themselves.” – Alexander Maclaren

• He gives us more of Himself, and who wouldn’t want more of the Lord?
• When I delight in Him; He will [also] delight in me.

Bible experts on delight:

• “Expect all thy happiness from him, and seek it in him.” – Adam Clarke
• “It includes a deliberate redirection of one’s emotions… [such as] Paul and Silas in prison, singing as well as praying.” – Derek Kidner
• “We cannot delight thus without effort. We must withdraw our eager desires from the things of earth, fastening and fixing them on Him.” – F.B. Meyer
• “In a certain sense imitate the wicked; they delight in their portion — take care to delight in yours, and so far from envying you will pity them.” – Charles Spurgeon
• “The reason many apparent Christians do not delight in God is that they do not know him very well, and the reason they do not know him very well is that they do not spend time with him.” – James Montgomery Boice

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Yet another reason to seek godliness.For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly.
Psalm 37:17

Make delighting in the Lord a priority. Spend time with Him. Praise Him. Thank Him. Worship Him. Serve Him.